792 



THORIUM. 



not show the green thallium line, the metal can 

 Btill be present upon those bodies. Further, 

 before testing mineral waters with the spectro- 

 scope for thallium, it would appear necessary 

 to free the former of sodium-compounds ; and a 

 search for the poison of thallium in the animal 

 viscera should be preceded by a like elimination. 



THORIUM. From analyses of its sulphate, 

 obtained by action of sulphuric acid on orange- 

 ite or on thorite, Delafontaine has determined 

 the equivalent of this element. The sulphate, 

 as first procured, is described as heavy, white, 

 and caseous ; consisting of extremely fine felted 

 needles; later, without too much water, it 

 changes to clear and colorless crystals. The 

 anhydrous salt on ignition gave 52.51 per cent, 

 of pure thoria. In two forms of hydrated sul- 

 phate, the unusual composition is presented of 

 9 HO to four atoms of sulphate proper in the 

 one, and to two in the other. The author re- 

 gards the true formula of thoria as Th0 2 . In 

 this case, taking O=8, the equivalent of thorium 

 t 115.6; while, assuming O=16, its equivalent 

 (the element being considered tetratonic) must 

 be doubled, and becomes 231.2. 



TRIOHONOSIS. (See SWINE.) 



TUNGSTEN. In an extended memoir on 

 this metal and its compounds (Am. de Chimie 

 et de Physique, January, 1864), Persozhas stated 

 conclusions differing widely from those received 

 among chemists, and some of which are the fol- 

 lowing: 1. That the constitution and proper- 

 ties of its oxides show tungsten to belong to 

 the group of biatomic radicals, arsenic, anti- 

 mony, and phosphorus. 2. That its equivalent, 

 oxygen =8, is 153.2. 3. That with oxygen it 

 forms two compounds, an oxide and an acid, 

 and containing respectively three and five equiv- 

 alents of oxygen. 4. That by their union these 

 two produce a third oxide (of the class of saline 

 oxides of Dumas), corresponding to the formula, 

 2WO. 6. That sulphur, chlorine, and bromine 

 form with it compounds corresponding to those 

 given by oxygen. 6. That mixtures of variable 

 proportions of anhydrous acid with the corre- 

 sponding chloride have been mistaken for an 

 oxy chloride, which latter this element, any more 

 than phosphorus, does not afford. 



TURKEY, an empire in Eastern Europe, 

 Western Asia, and Northern Africa. Present 

 ruler, Sultan Abdul-Aziz-Khan, born February 

 9, 1830; succeeded his brother, June 25, 1857. 

 Heir apparent, Abdul-Medjid-Khan, nephew 

 of the Sultan. The area and population of the 

 empire are estimated as follows: 



It is estimated that the trade of Turkey with 

 foreign countries amounted, in 1863, to 46,000,- 

 000, and that between the provinces to 20,- 

 000,000, making a total of 66,000,000 for the 

 year. 



On April 19th an imperial decree was issued 



TURKEY. 



creating a Privy Council composed of the heads 

 of the varions Government departments. The 

 decree provides that the Privy Council be held 

 under the personal presidency of the Sultan, and 

 meet weekly at the palace. 



The most important reform measure prepared 

 and partly executed during the year 1865, was 

 the confiscation by the State Government of 

 the property of the mosques. Acting on his 

 civil prerogative, and in spite of the Ulema 

 who threaten him with the canon law of 

 the Koran, the Sultan determined to convert 

 the whole of the mosque lands into a salable 

 and transferable tenure, subject only to lim- 

 itation of the right of testamentary demise 

 in the event of a failure of heirs, when the 

 escheat will no longer be to the clergy but to 

 the State. Thus, in Turkey as in Italy, the 

 ecclesiastical lands will be secularized. The 

 mosques will receive twenty or thirty per cent, 

 of the revenue from them, a change which will 

 almost triple their income; and the State, in- 

 stead of paying as hitherto a large supplemental 

 sum to the mosques, will enjoy from ten to 

 twelve million dollars annually. On the lands 

 thus converted and almost all Constantinople 

 stands on such mosque land capitalists will 

 now be tempted to advance money, others will 

 purchase them, and the greatest obstacle to 

 progress in Turkey, next to Mohammedanism 

 itself, will be removed. 



At the meeting of the Social Science Con- 

 gress, in 1865, an instructive paper on female 

 education among the Christian subjects of the 

 Porte was contributed by Misses G. M. Macken- 

 zie and Irby. There are from seven to eight 

 millions of Slavonic Christians in the Ottoman 

 Empire. "Wherever the Christians have a native 

 government, public instruction is an object of 

 solicitude; whereas the Mohammedan Govern- 

 ment of Turkey does nothing for the education 

 of its Christian subjects. For instance, the self- 

 governing principality of Servia, with one mil- 

 lion of inhabitants, has, during the last thirty- 

 five years, provided itself with 318 primary 

 schools, 6 gymnasia, 2 commercial schools, a 

 theological seminary, a civil and military acad- 

 emy ; while in neighboring Bulgaria, which is 

 administered by Mussulmans, five to six millions 

 of Slavonic inhabitants have not a single Sla- 

 vonic academy or higher seminary. In the 

 smaller Slavonic districts Old Servia, Herze- 

 govina, and Bosnia education stands still lower 

 than in Bulgaria. Female education was im- 

 peded by the lack of qualified teachers, not to 

 be obtained in Turkey, and young girls could 

 not well be sent out of their own country to be 

 trained. However, the native women them- 

 selves had started some schools, which, if sup- 

 plied with proper teachers, would form a most 

 hopeful instrument for civilizing the community. 

 To undertake this work an Association has been 

 formed for the "promotion of education among 

 the Slavonic Christians in Turkey." The scheme 

 is purely educational, without any object of 

 making proselytes from the Oriental Church, 



